Stories of Change

Weaving Women’s Leadership for Change. A Safe and Motivational Space for Women in Cambodia

“My disability doesn’t define my future.”Ms. Sum Sakon, WWLC Participant Through Weaving Women’s Leadership for Change (WWLC), a Women Peace Makers’ program, Ms. Sum Sakon joined other women in a safe space to learn, inspire, celebrate, support, and share about themselves, and their leadership challenges. She joined the program in 2020 and became part of the second cohort.  Ms. Sum Sakon came from a humble background. Growing up in a large family in Prey Veng province, she was struck by polio as a child which impacted her ability to walk properly. Despite her disability, she was motivated to complete her high...Read More

Healthy foods, healthy communities

Our partner Taa’Pi’t works with indigenous families in the Lake Atitlán region of Guatemala to reintroduce traditional foods, cooking techniques, and agricultural practices based on Ru Kuuyx qa Way qa Kuyaa, the Mayan expression for directing recognition, acceptance and gratitude to the vital energy that arrives in each home in the form of seeds, vegetables, fruits, and liquids. Here are the stories of Julia and Manuel, beneficiaries of Taa’ Pi’t projects. My name is Manuel Criado. Nowadays, I consider there are many problems because we feed ourselves inadequately. The children only want to eat sweet things and cereals in the...Read More

Innovative Solutions Preserves Children’s Access To Education During Covid-19 Lockdown

Our partner, Child Empowerment Programme (CEP), is a grassroots organization that seeks to empower children in rural eastern Uganda to reach their full potential. Through educational and community development programs, CEP supports them to become leaders in the social-economic transformation of their villages. To mitigate COVID-19 effects at schools, CEP Uganda provides internet access connections to 50 devices for its staff and students. This connectivity, financially supported by Pangea Giving, facilitates communication among teachers and students, and is an essential source of information to support students in their assignments. Here is the story of Mr. Waiswa Nelson, a teacher and...Read More

A 4G Connection to Uganda

Located in southeast Uganda, Child Empowerment Program (CEP) works to create a community in which all vulnerable children are able to reach their full potential in life by providing educational, civic and economic opportunity. Pangea Giving has supported CEP since 2018 and in 2021 we awarded them an operating grant for $9,920. The following is a letter of thanks from their Executive Director, Robert Kalulu, on how Pangea funding helped to bring 4G internet access to the community. As an ordinary primary school teacher at Nawanende SDA Primary school, I was forced to learn and use computer and internet by my...Read More

Weaving Women Leadership for Change: Fong Chompey

Ms. Fong Chompey​ is one of the inspiring women of Weaving Women Leadership for Change (WWLC), a Women Peace Makers' program that supports emerging women leaders in civil society in Cambodia. The program provides the tools and space for these women to come together to learn, explore, inspire, celebrate and share about themselves and their leadership challenges. Ms. Chompey currently serves as the deputy head of Cambodia Indigenous Women Working Group (CIWWG). She belongs to the Jarai indigenous group, located in Ratanakiri, Cambodia. She works mainly on women's rights and environmental issues through advocacy, research, facilitation, and mobilization of Indigenous...Read More

Chamnang: combating gender-based violence through song

Women Peace Makers work to change norms around gender and end violence against women in Cambodia. Their projects including training women in active non-violence, engaging young people in dialogue on the roles of gender and ethnicity in Cambodian society, and producing thought-provoking and creative artistic projects to expose these issues in Cambodia. One of their recent projects is a short film and music video called Chamnang. Chamnang is a ballad song inspired by the women who Women Peace Makers has supported and aims to raise awareness on gender-based violence against women especially during the Covid-19 pandemic where home is no...Read More

Wezesha Dada: Helping Ann to realize her life vision

When Ann Wajiru graduated from high school, she knew that she faced many challenges to realizing her potential. In rural Rongai country, Kenya, women are sidelined from positions of leadership in economic and political spheres. Local cultural beliefs confine women to the roles of wife and mother and limit their voice in local leadership. These cultural norms are reinforced through gender-based violence and a lack of pathways to positions of leaders for women.  Playmakers Theatre CBO seeks to challenge these cultural inequalities through their Wezesha Dada (Empower a Woman) project, funded by Pangea Giving. The project seeks to empower young...Read More

Petrona’s story of health, good food and life

Our partner Taa'Pi't works with indigenous families in the Lake Atitlán region of Guatemala to reintroduce traditional foods, cooking techniques and agricultural practices based on Ru Kuuyx qa Way qa Kuyaa, the Mayan expression for directing recognition, acceptance and gratitude to the vital energy that arrives in each home in the form of seeds, vegetables, fruits and liquids. Petrona Cocon is one of the women who benefited from this project and she shares her reflections here. The Taa’ Pi’t Ru Kuuyx qa Way qa Kuyaa (Essence of our Food and Drink) project has greatly influenced my life, both in health...Read More

A Thriving Model for Girls in Rural Kenya

Educating and empowering women and girls is a well-accepted strategy in global development to help them thrive. But what does this look like in hard to reach rural communities in Kenya where the practice of FGM (female genital mutilation) still takes place and dropping out of school and early marriages/pregnancies are commonplace for young adolescent girls? This short video features participants in Dandelion Africa’s highly successful Girls for Leaders program which has brought much needed hope, confidence, mentorship and leadership skills to thousands of girls from vulnerable communities. The stats tell the story too—98% of girls in Dandelion's program successfully...Read More

ASOGEN helps women in Guatemala to raise their voices

ASOGEN, a Pangea partner since 2013, provides psychological and social support services to female survivors of abuse and violence in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Julia is one of the beneficiaries of their programs (Note: Julia's name was changed to protect her identity). Throughout her life, Julia has faced discrimination and physical, sexual and emotional abuse, from both relatives and strangers. On top of this, Julia was deported from the United States and separated from her son in the process. Thanks to the work and intervention of ASOGEN psychologists, Julia has not only been able to narrate her painful story, but also to...Read More